Winter Road Conditions

The City's Storm Response Plan

Flooding, wind, freezing rain, and snow - the advent of another Pacific Coast winter threatens to create dangerous driving conditions and concern about access to work, school, and business. This guide informs roadway users about the City of Beaverton’s storm response plan. It also provides tips for motorists and residents to help keep themselves safe.

Priorities

The City of Beaverton is committed to building and maintaining our transportation system, ensuring the safety of all roadway users and operating the City roadway system in a cost effective and environmentally responsible manner.

Beaverton maintains about 206 miles of roadway throughout the city. City staff inspects all the roadways for weather-related hazards either during, after, or in anticipation of a storm and have identified priority routes that provide access to critical facilities, emergency services and arterial roadways. These priority routes are the focus of our response to a winter storm event or emergency.

The roadways identified as emergency transportation routes receive attention first. After the emergency transportation routes are cleared, the remaining collector routes will be serviced.

Public Works Response

Weather forecasts issued by the National Weather Service or other reporting agencies are considered to determine an appropriate response to a storm or other emergency event.

If the event develops during regular working hours (Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm), the Public Works management dispatches personnel and equipment as needed, under direction of the Public Works Director. If an event develops outside regular working hours, the on-call staff is responsible for calling in personnel and dispatching equipment. During extended events, Public Works may operate on a 24-hour basis.

Flooding. High water warning signs are posted when water covers part of a traffic lane, but the hazard can be avoided without creating a danger to traffic. Road closure barricades are set up when traffic lanes in one direction are covered with water or when water is flowing across the roadway creating dangerous driving conditions.

Ice & Snow. When icy conditions are forecast, anti-icing materials may be applied in areas that have been identified as being problematic to minimize slippery conditions.

When ice or snow cause roads to be slippery, roads may be sanded to improve traction. A clean, finely graded crushed aggregate is mechanically spread at intersections, curves, on hills and other problem areas, at the discretion of the equipment operator. Sanding does not melt ice or snow.